Preview: Monaco welcome Man City to the principality
Monaco and Manchester City go head-to-head at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday night, as Pep Guardiola’s side look to continue their impressive form over the last few weeks.
By Matt Smith
Monaco got off to a dismal start in the Champions League, suffering a heavy 4-1 defeat against Club Brugge. Maghnes Akliouche missed a penalty early on, with Brugge scoring four without reply, before Ansu Fati hit a consolation late on.
City secured a 2-0 victory over Napoli in their opening match, with Kevin De Bruyne making his return to the Etihad Stadium.
Team news
Monaco will be without a host of players for this one, with Lamine Camara, Denis Zakaria, Aleksandr Golovin, and Lukas Hradecky among those unavailable. Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is building his way back to full fitness, but he’s likely to miss out.
Rodri is in a race against time to prove his fitness to face Monaco after he missed their home Premier League clash with Burnley. Abdukodir Khusvano, Rayan Aït-Nouri, and Omar Marmoush are all unavailable, while Rayan Cherki is a doubt.
City back to their best in the final third
Man City have looked back to their best going forward this season, with Erling Haaland enjoying an impressive start to the campaign. Pep Guardiola’s men have scored 2.3 goals per game in the Premier League, creating 11.4 expected goals so far.
The resurgence in form of Phil Foden has certainly helped their cause, while Jérémy Doku is beginning to show why Guardiola wanted to bring him to the club. The Citizens are seeking a fifth win from their last six games in all competitions, as they aim to continue their perfect record in the Champions League.
Champions League display an anomaly for Monaco
Monaco’s performance against Club Brugge in the opening game of the Champions League campaign was a bit of an anomaly for the French side, who have enjoyed a strong start in Ligue 1. Their loss against Lorient last time out ended a run of three wins on the bounce, as they sit fourth in the table.
No team has scored more goals than Monaco in Ligue 1 this term, while they’ve also created 10.8 expected goals, finding the back of the net on 14 occasions. They’ll be desperate to bounce back against City after such a disappointing start in the Champions League.
Phil Foden the one to watch
As previously mentioned, Foden is starting to find his rhythm after a difficult 2024/2025 season. The England international has provided eight goals and assists combined in just 10 games so far this campaign, and he’s becoming undroppable in Guardiola’s side.
With De Bruyne departing, there’s been more of an emphasis for Foden to be the goalscoring and creative threat from midfield, and he’s showing signs of being able to slip straight into the Belgian’s shoes.
Prediction
Man City should have too much for Monaco in this one, so we’re going for a 2-0 victory to Guardiola’s men.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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